Homemade Clay

by Andrew
(Winchelsea, Austalia)

This recipe was sent to me by Andrew in Australia as an oven bake clay.

It got some bad comments (see below), so I made a batch myself. I actually thought it was pretty good clay - but do read the comments on how to make it before you start. You don't want to be just putting all the ingredients straight into a bowl and expecting it to work out. Add your liquid slowly and carefully to get the results you want.

Slowly add the water and oil to the dry ingredients. Mix them together until you get a smooth consistency. Note: I didn't need to add all the water and oil to get a good firm dough. Stop pouring when you have a good clay.

Pull off a section of the dough to work with.

Shape the dough into any design that you want. Just try not to make the shapes too thick.

Place your creations on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and cook in an oven at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for about 45 minutes-1 hour. Note: I found that unless the models were pretty flat they will need a much longer cooking time than this.

Comments for Homemade Clay

This clay is awesome! I don't know if things are different here in Australia but the recipe was spot on! The kids loved it and we will definitely be doing it again! Thanks! !!

Mar 12, 2012

.by: Noel

After getting very interested with sculpting and clay and such i decided to make my own. This recipe is fantastic! I learned that you need to put in LESS water and MORE oil. It worked wonderfully! Would definately use again

Feb 03, 2012

Homemade clay excellentby: Nikki

I have just made this in under 5 mins, with no problems as long as you follow instructions to the letter u will be fine. i was left with a 1/4 cup of water and and 1/4 tablespoon of oil. Excellent recipe and cheap too. Just what the we need at our afterschool club. x

Thanks Nikki. Glad it worked well for you. Julie.

Dec 13, 2011

great for ornamentsby: McKala

I used this to make hand and footprint ornaments with my little girl. I followed the directions exactly and they turned out well. They did not crack like other recipes I tried.

Julie says : Thanks for letting us know McKala. Hand and footprint ornaments sound a great thing to do.

Nov 13, 2011

worked for meby: nick

No problems with this one. Little bit of water left. Took two minutes to make. Done deal.

Thanks

Julie says : thanks Nick. Am glad it worked well for you.

Oct 09, 2011

Andrew's homemade clayby: Stephanie

Liked the recipe, liked the product. Follow directions and it turns out a really nice homemade clay!

Oct 04, 2011

How long do they keep?by: Anonymous

I love this recipe but I was wondering how long they keep for?

May 02, 2011

Add SLOWLY by: Danielle

You really want to add the water SLOWLY if you don't you get this biscuit making dough. Add it slowly, mixing it while you do, when you can roll it into a log and it doesn't sag, it's done. Don't make it TOO thick, if you do it tends to rise like biscuits.

Aug 14, 2010

Works pretty wellby: Julie of Homeschooling-ideas

Hi guys,
I have been perturbed by the negative reviews of this readers recipe - I only want to provide high quality information on my site. So I thought it was time to make a batch myself!!

I mixed together the flour (I used all-purpose) and salt - and added the oil. Then I SLOWLY added the cup of water. I had about 1/8th cup of water left when the mixture turned into a nice dough - so if you add all the water in one go then it seems it will be too sticky.

The dough had a nice feel - a bit too salty if anything but that helps to preserve it later. I then rolled out and cut three shapes. One at 1/8th of an inch thick, one at 1/4 inch thick, and one at 1/2 inch thick. I baked them on a very low oven as suggested - I found that the thinnest shape was just about ready after 1 hour - but I ended up baking them all for 1.5 hours (the thick shape really could have done with a bit longer).

The finished shapes were good - nice and hard. Great for kids to paint and use as ornaments.

And nothing like cookies :-)

Hope that helps. Best wishes, Julie.

Aug 14, 2010

Experiment!by: Anonymous

I think it is difficult to get a good clay recipe because everyone measures things out differently. Especially if you have to use cups and not weigh thing properly.

And I think that some flours act better than others in their absorbency. I use recipes like this as a starting point - if it is too sticky then add more flour. If it is too dry - then add more water.

Aug 11, 2010

Not what I expected!by: Anonymous

I made this with my 2 year old son thinking we can make some fun shapes, but it was way too sticky and didn't want to shape at all! Only good thing was that my son had fun mixing and feeling the texture of it. Definitely not clay! Was very disappointed. Trial and error. Still looking for a good homemade clay recipe.

Jul 10, 2010

This DOES NOT make a clay!!by: Tina

This recipe would probably be great for a very bland batch of cookies but it DOES NOT make a clay at all - in fact, it makes a great big mess!

May 10, 2010

ok:)by: Anonymous

are they cookies?
are they?

Jan 02, 2010

Good baking clay recipeby: Julie

Thanks Andrew. We are going to give this one a try!

The children want to make clay letters to spell their names on their bedroom doors - this recipe looks perfect for that.

Oh my goodness! I am a home schooling mum of 4 and I have NEVER found a better site! Thank you so much.
Blessings, Jenny (New Zealand)
I wanted to say THANK YOU for your fabulous website. I found your website, and finally I have the confidence to take the plunge and take my daughter out of school and educate her at home, thank you, thank you.Marina (UK)
I cannot get over how much great information and super ideas you have here. Fantastic!Ruralmama (USA)
This is simply fabulous!! I just now found this site and I'm so excited!! The opportunities and suggestions as well as the need to inspire are exactly what I have been searching to fulfill!! I'm so thrilled to get started and even more excited to continue to explore all of the fabulous suggestions and creative ideas you have offered here!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!Jennifer (USA)